Akimi, his lovely partner, Reiko, its sansei (third-generation) daughter, their spouse

She emerged since the an image bride when you look at the 1918 with the Shinyo Maru whenever she is you are yrs . old

I recall appointment Ayako Kikugawa the very first time throughout the wintertime from 1985 on Dot’s Restaurant inside Wahiawa, Oahu. It absolutely was within yearly Kumamoto kenjinkai (prefectural club) on Wahiawa/Waialua area shinnenkai (New year affair). The fresh pub is actually reactivated immediately after The second world war, within 1955, following nisei sons came back household of helping toward Eu battlefields. My hubby, Douglas, try chairman of the Waialua/Wahiawa city bar having 10 years. So i is actually happy to meet some of the issei feminine who’d already been just like the image brides from Kumamoto. Several of its issei husbands had just after become management of your bar however, got since the passed on. These wives remained in the a healthy body and featured toward the brand new hvordan fГҐ en venninne pГҐ nettet event from year to year. One such partner try Ayako Kikugawa. At the eighty-eight, she had been gorgeous and extremely graceful. Their particular sensitive provides, brownish eyes, and you can fair skin matched up their unique smooth-verbal, comfortable trend. It was tough to suppose that she was once among the countless photo brides have been compelled to toil away inside Wahiawa’s pineapple fields according to the sizzling hot sunlight making a living. Once retiring in the pineapple plantation, Ayako paid off together with her husband, Shitoku, and her third young man, Akimi, from inside the Wahiawa. Akimi had purchased the newest property just after World war ii. Wahiawa was also referred to as “Pineapple Town” whilst is actually surrounded by acres and you can miles from steeped pineapple industries. Their residence is based in a quiet form regarding tall eucalyptus trees over the Kakunahoa River, hence streams lazily into tranquil River Wilson, the greatest freshwater lake with the Oahu. New Waialua Glucose Providers first-built this tank so you can irrigate the fresh sugarcane industries all the way to Waimea Bay. Some people titled they the brand new Wahiawa Reservoir, however, now it is best labeled as Lake Wilson. It’s a well-known 12 months-bullet angling location for tilapia, catfish, bluegill, or any other designs of fish. New lake likewise has green turtles. The front lawn out of Ayako’s single-story household try superbly landscaped having a great Japanese stone garden, shapely pine bonsai, and you will red-colored camellia plant life.

She sat conveniently on the sofa with her hands collapsed on their lap

as well as their lovable yonsei (fourth-generation) grandchildren all the stayed gladly in one place. As i went along to Ayako for the August eleven, 1987, she welcomed myself that have a warm look and you may bowed their particular lead a few times in the home. We answered that have a bow, just as my personal mommy had trained me personally as i was extremely younger. Ayako, like many almost every other issei feminine, clothed conservatively, from inside the an easy bluish cotton skirt secured in a flowery development. Their own silvergray tresses is actually place toward a beneficial chignon on the back off their own direct and you may stored positioned which have an enthusiastic olive-environmentally friendly lacquer brush. We pointed out that their own hands was basically secured from inside the marks away from removing the new spiny, razor-clear renders regarding the top of pineapple bush. These were the sole telltale signs remaining of your ages she had worked tirelessly on brand new plantation. Given that she first started unfolding their early in the day, their particular sound faltered a little while that have feelings. She paused, and you can gradually restored their composure. She try the latest embodiment of a typical lady about Meiji era: strong-willed, independent, and committed. The truth is, inside her one or two-hour interviews she did not play with the majority of her Kumamoto dialect. She put practical Japanese which includes dialect and extremely nothing Pidgin otherwise English. I started to ponder regarding way she spoke. Throughout my personal interview with many different issei from the isles, I discovered that those who kept in intimate reach along with other villagers about same countries retained its languages and you will village heritage. It had been simpler to communicate with each other inside their common language. The